1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to elastomer dental floss, disposable flossing units and dental flossing devices. The new elastomer dental floss is effective, and the flossing units are low in cost and disposable.
2. Description of Prior Art
The daily use of dental floss is desirable for a number of reasons. It is a means of cleaning between the teeth and under gum margins so that bacterial or dental plaque is removed. Dental authorities consider plaque the leading cause of periodontal disease and tooth loss in adults. Also, flossing is the best means for removal of food particles after eating. The trapped particles are annoying, may interfere with proper speech, and when permitted to remain, may cause bad breath. The standard wood or plastic tooth picks that have usually been used for this purpose have a number of shortcomings, among them the tendency to break during use, sharp edges that may cut into the gums and cause bleeding, awkward to use and many have a leading point which is often too thick to dislodge particles from narrow spaces between teeth.
The conventional floss for many years, has been a tow or strand of many small diameter nylon filaments. There are minor variations of these floss materials, such as polypropylene filaments instead of nylon filaments, and the addition of a mint or other flavor to the floss, or addition of a coloring pigment or dye. My invention, which is very different from the conventional floss and modifications of current floss, consists of a novel floss material that I designate as "elastomer floss", which can be stretched to squeeze into very narrow spaces between teeth. My invention also includes related devices based on the new elastomer floss innovation.
Prior art in this field discloses that existing disposable dental floss units or floss picks have generally been made by a process that injection molds plastic material around a multiple filament strand of conventional flossing material, producing a chain of floss picks; the floss picks are then separated by cutting apart the floss between a row of floss picks. The following patents represents the state of the art: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,926,201 and 5,246,021, both granted to Harry S. Katz, the inventor of the present disclosure. Injection molding, as specified in U.S. Pat. No. 3,926,201, is an excellent method for producing this type of product and is one of the preferred methods for manufacturing some of the new products detailed in this invention.
An important point to repeat and emphasize about prior art in this field, is that the use of conventional dental floss, which consists of strands of nylon filaments, has been the overwhelming major means for flossing teeth and between teeth. However, the polymer filaments of conventional dental floss are not sufficiently abrasive to be a highly effective means of removing dental plaque. Especially in view of the fact that most individuals do not have the patience to spend much time on each tooth during flossing. Also, the very small diameter of the conventional floss filaments results in the potential of cutting through the gums of the user, similar to the manner in which a thin wire cutter can be used to cut through cheese, and thus cause bleeding. This is one of many reasons, as further explained below, why this invention provides improvements over the current dental floss and flossing devices.
The present invention is an innovative and non obvious improvement over the prior art of dental flossing materials and devices.